Better Than All The Rest: Sephora Bestsellers

Books! Mascaras! Movies! Lipsticks! I love best sellers.

There's something to be said for products capable of sparking mass adoration and a fawning devotion normally reserved for pets small enough to dress in sweaters. For me, products with strong fan-based following at least merit a one-time trial. I can't help it - I've gotta know what all the fuss is about.

Then there's that moment where you pull out your NARS lip gloss or Aquolina Pink Sugar for a spiff-up, and blurted out from two tables across (or more typically, five stalls down), is an, "OHMYGAWDILOVETHATSTUFF!!!" And just like that, you're bonding over Diorshow.

You can find the top fan favs on our Sephora Best Sellers list. Take a peek and see if your OMGs are on here, too.

And if you so totally already know what's everybody's favorite is, maybe you should put those talents to better use.

DARK LIPS: Love 'em or loathe 'em?

Step aside, pansy pouts! Lips are taking a turn to the dark side this fall, and there's no being shy about it. From the jet-black smackers at Rachel Roy to the plum stains at Baby Phat, the fall runways were dripping in dangerously dark hues. So, whatd'ya think? Go ahead, mouth off here!

What's your take on fall's dark lip trend?

	Love it!
	Not a fan.

*Photo courtesy of bellasugar. Thanks, ladies!

Oh, Why Don't You Go Eat Makeup!

Here's one for the vocab list: Nutricosmetics. As in, cosmetics you eat.

This sounds like a trick. Like something I would have hissed under my breath to my baby sister so mom wouldn't hear, "Mom's mascara? You can eat that. Go on, Emmy. I dare you."

In fairness to what sounds like a creepy word, nutricosmetics aren't objects you'd either eat OR wear. We aren't talking lipsticks that double as a stick of jerky or loose powder that also mixes up like Lipton's Dry Onion Soup mix.

Nutricosmetics are more like beauty products you ingest to look pretty. Getting gorgeous from the inside out. Still, while nutricosmetics are big news in Europe and Japan, U.S. shoppers are not exactly biting.

Is it because the word "nutricosmetics" sounds soo....weird? And is syllabically too close to "neti pots"?

If this is basically a fancy word for being able to buy twice as many beauty products (inside and outside!), I'm for it - and suggesting the NutriCos Starter List for the U.S.:

Phyto Phytophanere Dietary Supplement - Hair & Nails
Dr. Brandt Anti-Oxidant Water Booster - Pomegranate
Murad Pure Skin Supplements

Sephora Exclusive! Marchesa Meets Stila & Makes Something Beautiful

Stilettos and skirts. Brad and Angelina. Peanut butter and chocolate. Marchesa and Stila Cosmetics.

We're talking about beautiful pairs. And for Stila fans and Marchesa lovers, we have a haute tip: The makeup Stila created for Marchesa's Fall 2008 runway show is coming exclusively to Sephora.com and Sephora stores on August 1st!. Lights! Camera! Fashion!

Stila's Backstage Beauty Collection will feature three custom-blended, limited-edition palettes inspired by the jewel-toned couture whipped up by Marchesa for their Fall Collection.

The palettes are faux patent leather with matching faux leather rosettes (Hint: You can wear the rosettes as chokers! We know because we did it!). Each palette includes one matte shadow, two shimmer shadows, and a mini Kajal eyeliner.

The straight-from-the-runway look, summed up in a word: Blendable. “The eyes were all about looking dreamy and feminine without being overdone,” said Talia Shobrook, the headlining makeup artist who worked with the Stila Pro Artist team. “The Backstage Beauty shades are wearable and blendable.”

Hey, whatever. We're totally fine with being mistaken for fashion models. So stay tuned! These palettes are coming ONLY to Sephora.com and a Sephora store near you!

Photo: Team Marchesa Meets Team Stila..and boy is it beauty-ful!

Trend Alert: Teal & Bronze

Hot new couple spotted! Teal Liner and Bronze Eyeshadow hooked up for the summer, and have been seen making eyes all over the most glamorous faces in town.

TeRonze coupling is an easy look to pull off, too. It looks like the work of a pro, but thanks to a heap of new matchy-matchy summer palettes, you can make this your favorite summer fling without a second thought.

True stuff! This summer lover is for all eye shades - not just blue. Teal makes every eye color pop - if you've never ventured into teal territory before, you're in for a major treat when you see what it does for your peepers!

Our favs? Glad you asked:


Smashbox Oasis Shadow & Liner Quad







Stila Eyeshadow Palette







Sephora Colorful Eyeshadow Palette



More! More! More! Are you a pencil & shadow kinda gal? Prefer your pigments loose? Or how about teal with a mineral twist? We've got more Teal & Bronze picks at Sephora.com.

Braids & Legs: Things You Thought Were Gone...Aren't

Zac Posen's catwalkers turned up in nude and suntan pantyhose at Fashion Week a few months ago. Only then, it was easier to dismiss the whole thing with, "Not unless you're on the clock at Hooters and are accessorizing with a plate of hot wings!"

It's scads harder to dismiss pantyhose when they start showing up at big retailers like American Apparel. And if that weren't twisted-reality enough, trendcentral reports that now French braids are making a comeback, too (if you can't remember how-to, bone up here before this fad reaches critical mass in summer).

I personally did a brief stint in suntan pantyhose (L'Eggs, filched from mom's dresser, from a stash of L'Eggs still packaged in plastic eggs) - before realizing that my source for fashion shouldn't be my mom's underwear drawer.

I think I'd have less trouble getting in line with the "sun hose" trend if there weren't so many bronzing options out there. When your choices are jeans or blinding white legs, suntan hose look like a great idea. When your options are 30 different bronzers in 57 shades of gold shimmer, suddenly the only thing golden about tan pantyhose are the Golden Girls still wearing them.

As for the French braids....if I'm going to copy anything this summer, it's going to be this.



Photos courtesy of eBay and trendcentral

Historical Hot Stuff: How Beauty Standards Change

1720: The bigger the mouth, the hotter the girl. Beauty points for girls with a big schnoz to match.

1890: Behold the measurements of a perfect woman: 5'5" and about 160 pounds.

1950: Two words: Marilyn Monroe. No, wait, make that platinum blond.

1980s: Out of necessity, the word "Supermodel" is invented to describe the catwalk glamazons trolling fashion shows with their big hair, long legs, and dingy rocker boyfriends.

Ok. So we're fickle about beauty.

ABC News has an absolutely don't-miss-it article about how our standards of beauty have changed over time (anyone else here wanna load up on size 12 pants and transport back to 1890?).

Thanks to the benefit of a historical overview, we can tell you that the Ideal American Beauty is this: We have no Ideal. At least, not ones that stick for more than a few years. I smell a corny joke somewhere in here: "If you don't have looks like a model, wait five minutes!"

So what's hot now? Luckily, it's the good stuff. Accessible beauty, "cute" little flaws, and a look of casual imperfection. Hey!! That pretty much describes my makeup routine every morning. Huh. I guess I must be pretty hot.


Photos courtesy of ABC News and my own Yahoo! avatar from three hairstyles ago.